Chapter 9 Hayden
HAYDEN
The engine thrums beneath us as I steer us back towards the Black Crow. Faith holds tight, her chin tucked against my back, her smile still warm against the fabric of my cut. She keeps quiet the entire ride, but I can sense the buzz of curiosity radiating off her.
She’s probably thinking I’m taking her somewhere quiet—low key. Maybe just a drink and a pat on the back.
She has no idea I texted Draven.
As we pull up outside the bar, she frowns. “We’re here again?”
“Yeah,” I say, kicking the stand down. “C’mon.”
“Hayden…” she drags my name out with a suspicious squint.
“Trust me, Sunshine.”
I push the door open, and the moment we step inside, the place erupts.
“Wooo! She’s here!”
“Go on, girl!”
“Bloody smashed it, Faith!”
Balloons float above the bar. There’s a dodgy homemade banner across the back wall that reads ‘Well done, Sunshine!’ scrawled in glitter. Someone cranks up the jukebox to a cheesy victory anthem.
She stops in her tracks, frozen just inside the door, her mouth open in shock.
“Did you—?” she whispers.
I shrug one shoulder. “Might’ve mentioned your results.”
Heather’s already dragging her towards a table stacked with cupcakes, plastic flutes of cheap fizz, and a chocolate cake someone’s butchered with a butter knife.
Faith laughs, and it’s like the last bit of weight falls off her shoulders. She hugs Yaz, high-fives a girl with violet hair, even throws her arms around Draven, who looks surprised as hell but doesn’t dare say a word. He just mutters, “Get this girl a bloody drink.”
I hang back for a minute, watching her glow.
She’s surrounded by people who didn’t even know her a few days ago but are cheering like she’s one of their own.
Because she is.
And damn, she looks good—flushed with pride, her eyes brighter than I’ve ever seen them.
A few of the younger patch members eye her from across the bar, but I step forward just enough to make my presence known. One sharp look from me and they suddenly remember they’ve got errands to run.
Faith turns back to me, cheeks pink and eyes shining. “You did all this?”
I nod once. “Didn’t want the moment to pass without someone making a fuss. It’s only what your brother would’ve done.”
She steps into my space again, close enough that her fingers graze my stomach. “Thank you.”
I nod, my throat a little tight. “You earned it.”
“Still,” she whispers, leaning in, “this is the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”
And fuck me if that doesn’t slice right through my chest.
I curl my arm around her waist, not caring who sees. “Get used to it, Sunshine. You deserve people who show up.”
Our eyes lock for a beat too long, but I never want to let her go and I hold her for longer than I should, not caring who sees, wanting everyone here to know she’s with me.
Prez leans against the bar with a pint in hand, breaking the spell I’m under. “Congratulations Faith. Your brother will be proud.”
“Thank you.”
He nods towards the cake. “Get us a slice of that chocolate cake, would you, sweetheart?”
She spins around without hesitation and weaves through the crowd to the buffet table.
Now out of earshot, Prez leans in, his voice low, “What’s the deal with Oak’s little sister?” He raises an eyebrow. “She’s a long way from home, isn’t she?”
“She needs somewhere to stay for a while. Just until Oak gets out.”
“You failed to mention it at church last night.”
“Do I need to declare every woman I have over at the garage?”
“No, but she’s not every woman.” He lifts his pint to his lips and takes a sip. “You heard from him?”
I shake my head. “Not directly.” Getting a prison visitor pass can be difficult. “Why?”
“Just wondering if he knows his little sister’s shacked with you. I don’t want this turning bad. Oak’s done a lot for this club and we owe him.”
I straighten my spine with gritted teeth. “That’s why I’m taking care of his sister.”
Prez nods, a half smirk on his face as he raises one bushy eyebrow. “Just make sure you don’t get too familiar.” He pats me on the back as he walks towards the buffet and towards my girl carrying a plate of sliced cake.
I let her chat with her friends and enjoy her moment while I slip into the back room, looking for Draven.
Kane chalks up a pool cue with his buddy Shane. Draven’s in the corner talking with Colin and Sawyer.
“Hey, you got a minute?” I ask Draven, pulling him away from the two construction workers.
“Sure, what’s up?”
“Just wondered if you’d heard anymore from Oak?”
“Yeah. He called the bar. Heather answered. She told him she was safe.”
I nod. “Good.”
As the door opens to the main room in the Black Crow, I hear an angel’s voice coming through the speakers.
The same voice I used to hear singing around the garage when Oak would bring her around.
Like a skylark’s song, she lifts my spirits, the weight on my shoulders lighter as I walk back into the bar and see her up at the front with the band just like last night, a huge smile on her face, mic in hand, a sway to her hips like she belongs there.
She was made to be worshipped and admired. The rest of us are mere mortals gazing up at the sun goddess herself.
Our eyes lock. Her smile widens as she sings into the mic, working the stage as if she’s done it a thousand times. I don’t know what she was going to do at uni, but it seems a shame to waste a voice like that.
Faith’s voice fades as the song ends and the bar erupts again—more whoops, more applause, the thud of glasses raised in toast. She gives a little curtsy, laughing breathlessly into the mic before letting Chloe take over for the next set.
I’m halfway across the room when I hear a voice I haven’t heard in years.
“Well, well, look who it is.”
Faith turns just as a shadow crosses the room. The smile drops from her face.
My boots are already moving.
“Nigel.” Her voice is quiet. Her sparkle gone.
He swaggers in like he owns the place, all puffed chest and bravado, his hand wrapped around a cheap leather belt at his waist. He’s wearing that same sneer he always wore when he used to show up sniffing around the club, trying to deal his shit.
“You ready to come home, girl?” he slurs, loud enough that half the bar turns. “Your mum’s been worried sick and all the time you’ve been shacked up here. You’ve had your fun. Time to pack up your toys and stop playing house with these bikers.”
I reach them in two strides, stepping between them before she has to say another word.
“You’re not taking her anywhere,” I say, voice ice cold.
He laughs. “Oh, look who’s playing daddy now. What’s the matter, Wrath? Can’t get your own woman so you steal someone else’s little girl?”
A beat of silence falls over the bar.
Draven steps closer, followed by Prez.
Then every patched member in the room stands a little taller.
“Watch your mouth,” I growl, my hand curling into a fist. “You’ve got three seconds to leave.”
“She’s my responsibility. I’ve been feeding her. Housing her.”
“Sliming over her?” I bite. “Neglecting her while you drink away what little money her mum brings in?”
Nigel’s eyes dart, calculating, but he’s too far gone to back down clean. “I’ve never laid a hand on her. You don’t get to keep her. She’s barely eighteen, not your—”
“But you have laid your eyes on her,” I say, stepping closer, chest to chest now. “I’ll die before I let you take her back to that hellhole.”
The silence snaps as Kane walks in from the pool room, clutching his cue as if it’s a weapon. Then Shane. He’s not in his police uniform, but everyone knows he’s a cop. “Nigel, you’re not welcome here. This is a private party.”
Nigel glares at the crowd, our patched members forming a human shield around Faith. “I’ll be back,” he hisses, retreating.
“You do that,” I say, my voice like steel. “And next time, bring a priest.”
He stumbles out, slamming the door behind him, the air in the bar crackling in the aftermath.
When I turn, Faith’s pale. But she’s standing tall.
I reach for her hand.
She takes it.
Without a word, I pull her back into my arms. She doesn’t cry. Not in front of everyone. But her breath stutters against me and her body trembles.
I hold her tighter. “You’re safe,” I whisper. “I won’t let you go back there.”
She nods against my chest.
And this time, I don’t let go, needing to hold her as much as she needs me. The situation all too familiar. So much regret with thoughts of how I couldn’t hold on to my sister. I know I can’t keep Sunshine, but I can make sure she’s safe.